The Thirteenth Tale

Biographer Margaret Lea arrives at Vida Winter's countryside house to begin the long biography that may finally reveal the truth behind Vida's celebrated life. She remains cautious, cross-checking Vida's memories against public records before trusting her recollections. Vida agrees to share what she believes is the truth, starting the investigation.

Vida presents the claim that she was born Adeline March, pointing to a key-shaped burn on her palm as supposed proof of a devastating fire that killed her family when she was seventeen. She frames her past around this memory, insisting it is the anchor of her life story. Margaret, though intrigued, remains wary and seeks independent corroboration.

Vida's memories transport us to Angelfield, a decaying country estate where she grew up with her identical twin Emmeline. Their mother Isabelle endures abuse at the hands of their brother Charlie, leaving the girls largely under the care of the household staff—the Missus and John-the-dig. A governess, Hester Barrow, arrives but her influence remains limited, setting the stage for a fragile, strained family dynamic.

A plan to separate the sisters is proposed as an experiment by Hester Barrow and a local doctor to see if distance could improve their behavior. It backfires, with Adeline falling silent and Emmeline crying constantly, both devastated by the forced distance. The rift deepens the already fragile bond between the twins.

Hester Barrow and the doctor are discovered kissing and vanish from the village, rumored to have fled to America. Their disappearance leaves Angelfield with unanswered questions and a growing sense of danger. The estate begins to drift into silence and rumor as the mystery takes hold.

When the twins reach seventeen, Isabelle dies in the asylum and Charlie vanishes soon after. The Missus and John-the-dig vow to keep quiet about what happened, letting Angelfield drift back into routine and silence. The past begins to close in on the present with hidden truths unsaid.

Adeline discovers Charlie's body in the woods, but says nothing to anyone. The Missus and John-the-dig subsequently die in accidents—the Missus plunging down stairs and John-the-dig falling from a ladder—events that feel suspicious but are kept quiet by those who know the truth. The family’s secrets remain buried under a veil of silence.

To shield others from the truth, Adeline fabricates a tale that Charlie is simply on holiday in Peru. Ambrose, a boy hired by John after Missus's death, helps perpetuate the lie, keeping the household's secrets intact and the public story plausible. The lie becomes the family's new 'truth,' masking the darker events beneath.

Back in the present, Margaret's investigations are interrupted by a sense of danger as she explores Angelfield, and she is haunted by the quiet presence of Aurelius Love near the estate. Aurelius is revealed as a calm, enigmatic figure linked to the estate's final secret, and Margaret realizes she shares a painful memory of a lost twin in her own past. The mystery deepens as personal histories begin to collide.

In the nights, Margaret hears crying and a woman in white wandering the garden, and watches Vida feed the mysterious visitor, confirming that there were three girls, not two. The garden's haunting presence is tied to Angelfield's dark past and the trio of identities surrounding the family. The truth starts to break through the carefully built façade.

Vida confirms she is not Adeline but perhaps Charlie's child, hidden from the world by guardians after her mother abandoned her at Angelfield. She explains that the real Adeline was violently jealous of Emmeline and relied on Missus and John-the-dig to cover up her crimes. This revelation shifts the narrative's center from a simple daughter’s story to a family forged by crime and concealment.

Ambrose's presence had helped conceal Adeline's misdeeds, and Emmeline now lives in a fragile state of madness as the 'woman in white' roaming Angelfield's garden, guarded by Vida's ongoing care. Her vulnerability embodies the consequences of the family’s long-hidden sins. The estate bears the weight of a childhood lost to violence.

Aurelius Love reappears as a calm, remorseful figure who apologizes for frightening Margaret, insisting his warnings were not aimed at her but part of the estate's dangerous history. His return underscores the lingering shadows surrounding Angelfield. Margaret processes the complex legacy she has uncovered.

During the teardown, a skeleton is uncovered, believed to be Adeline's remains, and the truth of the family’s tangled past is laid bare for the first time. The revelations force a reckoning with what has been hidden for decades. The estate's legacy finally begins to release its grip on those who survived its secrets.

Vida dies peacefully after telling her story to Margaret, and with the biography complete, Margaret chooses to stay a little longer in the countryside to reflect on what she has learned and the life she now plans to lead. The narrative closes on a contemplative note, with memory and truth finally in balance. Margaret remains to consider her own path forward.